Basketball: Pirates tame Lions in Sussex Cup

After a busy month in which Bognor Pirates won two home games but lost two on the road, they beat Eastbourne Lions 65-51 in the Sussex Cup.

From the opening tip-off the Pirates came out strong and excellent defence and fast-flowing attacks allowed the home team to fly into an 11-point lead with the away team not getting off the mark until the sixth minute.

This spurred on the Pirates and thanks to some strong scoring from Rich Lowe and Andy Pleskys, Bognor’s lead was 24-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The second began with Eastbourne coming out playing tighter man-on-man defence and a patient offensive game. The teams traded baskets as rebounds became a key to stop either team getting second-chance points. However the Pirates led 37-17 at the halfway point.

After the break the Pirates seemed to lose momentum, with missed shots adding up and scoring proving a challenge. Some good defense helped keep the score in Bognor’s favour but ball security became an issue as Bognor tried to push the tempo, which caused too many communication issues.

The start of the fourth quarter found Bognor still struggling to score; however their defensive effort seemed to balance the lack of points.

Halfway through the fourth, good scoring from Kev Wilson, with some excellent rebounding from Matt Wakeling, saw the game out for the Pirates.